Making Headlines
by rogan4evur
Summary: With a hit TV show and an amazing boyfriend, Rachel Berry has it all. But, it's a known fact that those with it all have the farthest to fall. And with all the drama coming with her new life, Rachel's finding it hard to prove that wrong. Sequel to RP.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel took in a ragged breath and straightened the hem of her black Betsy Johnson mini. She ran a hand through her side-swept bangs, self-conscientiously. The last thing she wanted to do was admit she was nervous, but as she got ready for her cue to walk on stage, she found that to be somewhat futile.

This was her first live interview, and to say that it had her stomach turning would be a major understatement. And to add to the insecurities that were already there, this wasn't just _any _live talk show. This was _The Night Show with Danny Lovell_. The highest rated variety show around.

Of course, Jesse had spent plenty of time naming all the reasons why she shouldn't be nervous. He had even had them delivered to her on a neatly printed list, attached to a bouquet of peonies, only minutes prior.

Rachel reached into her dress's conveniently placed pocket at pulled said list from her pocket to give it a quick read and hopefully slow her pulse.

_Top 5 Reasons Why Rachel Berry Needs to Calm Down_

_5. Trust me, you look beautiful._

4. _Danny's a cool guy. He's not going to throw you under the bus. (And that is strictly a metaphor, so breathe.)_

_3. Danny was my first show, too. I survived and many more before and after me have._

_2. At the risk of sounding completely biased, people love you. Just take a deep breath, and be yourself._

_1. More importantly than anything, I love you. I would never encourage you to do anything that would ultimately lead to your harm._

_Bonus: You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful. _

_JSJ_

"Our first guest is a rising, young starlet. Most of you know her as the ambitious and omni-talented Samantha Logan on the FOX show _Making It. _Please give a warm welcome to Rachel Berry!"

Rachel's head snapped up, and she remembered exactly where she was. With a renewed confidence, she stepped out from the curtain that had opened in front of her to an enormous round of applause.

She grinned easily, in a way that wasn't fake at all. She gave the audience a small wave, and continued walking over to her specified seat next to Danny.

She shook the hand Danny had held out for her and gave him a smile of his own. Then, she took her seat, adjusting her dress accordingly. She crossed her legs, like she had been told to do, and slowly she felt her nerves fade away.

"As you can probably tell by the audience, we are really excited to have you here with us tonight."

"Thank you," Rachel grinned. "I'm so excited to be here!" She rubbed her hands together excitedly, and bounced a little in her seat.

"You're just adorable," Danny laughed.

Rachel laughed, "Thank you!"

"So, let's talk a little about _Making It_. First of all, I love it. It's awesome. I Tivo it and watch it with my wife every Thursday."

"Really?" Rachel asked, letting true amazement slip through.

"I think it's hard to find too many people that don't. Do you watch it? I know that some actors refuse to watch their own stuff, but how about you?"

"I try to avoid it," Rachel answered honestly. "Most of the time, I can get away with not watching it."

"Most of the time?" Danny asked curiously. "Have you been forced to watch it?"

"Well, you know," Rachel said. "Things like premiere parties and screenings are inevitable, and then there's Jesse."

"So Jesse St. James – your boyfriend – is a fan of the show?"

"He claims to be," Rachel laughed. "I think it's safe to say he's a tad bit biased. But, he does like to turn the TV to it whenever it's on. He has no problem watching himself act, so he just doesn't understand why I prefer not to watch it."

Danny laughed. "He's a confident guy."

"To put it lightly," Rachel nodded.

"So, if I'm not mistaken, this is your first live show. Did you do anything to prepare for it?"

"Um," Rachel hesitated. "I drank lots of water, I bought like thirty episodes of this show off of iTunes and watched them on repeat for the past week, and I had people sporadically ask me questions about my life."

Danny waited for the audience laughter to die out a bit, and then commented.

"Wow, so you must not have been nervous about this at all."

"You didn't see me backstage," Rachel countered. "I was shaking like there was no tomorrow. I'm so nervous right now, the only thing stopping me from peeing my pants is the fact that I'm not wearing any."

The audience broke into a fit of laughter, and Rachel blushed deeply.

"I can't believe I just said that."

"Don't worry about it," Danny laughed. "In fact, a few years ago I think a certain male movie star said something to the same affect. Minus the dress part, of course."

"I really hope your referring to who I think you are, because he's never going to hear the end of it."

"Oh, I am. But, let's get back to _Making It. _For anyone who hasn't seen it, could you give a summary of it?"

"Of course!" Rachel smiled. "Basically, I play a nineteen year old girl – Samantha Logan – living in New York City, who's trying to make it on Broadway."

"Right," Danny nodded. "And your sort-of love interest is played by Sam Evans. I just love that guy!"

"Yeah, Sam plays Rick Bradford. Rick is Sami's best friend from high school, and he's always had this protective, um, attitude towards Sami. When the season starts, he's almost played out like a big brother character. Unlike Sami, he comes from a lot of money, so when she tells him she's moving out to New York to risk it all, he feels kind of like it's his duty to move with her and take care of her. He pays for the apartment they share, runs lines with her, etcetera."

"The chemistry is really there for the two of you. Was that hard to develop or did it just come to the two of you?"

"You've seen Sam Evans, right?" Rachel laughed, jokingly. "Seriously, though, Sam's a great guy. He's super easy to get along with. I think a lot of the chemistry, though, is due to the amazing writing we have. There's that constant adorableness that's there because they've grown up together, they know everything about each other, but at the same time there's that tension growing between the two of them due to Sami's growing obsession with becoming famous."

"Well, you play the part superbly. You're acting skills are seriously awesome. And, we haven't even gotten to talk about your singing voice. Man, you can _belt _it!"

The crowd cheered in agreement.

"Thank you," Rachel grinned. "Thank you so much! Singing has always been my number one passion, and I think one of the reasons I connect so well with Sami is because Broadway was my dream for as long as I could remember, but when I heard about this show that could combine singing and acting along with pushing current TV boundaries, it was impossible to refuse."

"Well, you are every bit as adorable and amazing as I thought you would be. Thank you so much for coming on. You're going to stay for our next guest, right?"

"I'd love to!" Rachel confirmed, realizing that she had no idea who the next guest was.

Danny gave a quick bid to commercial break, and then turned to Rachel when they were signaled that their mics were off.

"Great interview. You can come back, anytime," Danny stuck out his hand for Rachel to shake again.

"Thank you so much for having me."

"You were seriously nervous about coming on tonight?"

"Terrified," Rachel verified. "I was serious about that dress thing."

"This might sound really bad, but I'm glad to hear that."

Rachel raised a questioning brow.

"It's just, nowadays, it seems all of these stars are just so self-absorbed and overly-confident. It's nice to know there's still some out there with their heads on their shoulders. Make sure you stay that way, my friend."

"I don't think that will be a problem," Rachel assured.

"I'm really glad you're staying. It's going to be great having the two of you here."

"At the risk of sounding completely idiotic for asking, who –"

"And we're back in five... four... three..." the director called.

Rachel straightened her posture and gave up on finding exactly who she was about to meet.

"Our next guest is an extremely talented actor who's next movie, _Inheritance, _will be hitting theaters Friday." Suddenly, everything clicked, and Rachel knew exactly who would be coming through the curtain. "Everybody, please give a warm welcome to one of my personal favorites, Jesse St. James."

Sure enough, there was her boyfriend dressed flawlessly from head to toe in what Rachel learned was his signature brand – Armani. He saluted the audience, jokingly, and walked with confidence to the desk to give Danny a "man hug."

Rachel stood from her seat and waited to see what he would do. As soon as his focus shifted onto her, his face broke into a large smile. He walked over to her and wrapped her in a quick hug, taking just enough time to kiss her cheek and whisper "surprise" into her ear.

When he pulled away, Rachel couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. She took a seat on the near side of the couch, leaving the chair open for him to sit in. She was surprised, however, when he didn't sit. Instead, he stood before her.

"Scootch over," he laughed. "You should know by now that I don't bite."

Rachel blushed a little and gave him an exaggerated eye roll, but she complied.

Once the two of them were situated on the couch – Jesse with the placement closer to Danny, his arm thrown across the couch's back – Danny began to speak.

"Well, I feel loved."

Jesse and Rachel laughed along with the audience.

"Don't look at me," Jesse defended. "She's the one who didn't scootch enough for three."

"I didn't know I was supposed to!" Rachel countered. "Besides, I don't think there would have been enough room anyway, with your ego and all."

Jesse breathed in through his teeth, "Ouch."

"Hey, lovebirds, remember me?" Danny asked with a smile.

"Always, Danny-Dan." Jesse replied. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Let's start out with _Inheritance_. I've already seen it, and I thought it was almost perfect."

"Almost?" Jesse asked. "What was wrong with it?"

"The guy playing the lead just didn't do it for me. I think Zefron would have been a better choice," Danny pondered with a serious tone.

Jesse just rolled his eyes, far beyond used to Danny's joking ways. "Sorry to disappoint."

Danny laughed. "Just an observation. Honestly, though, this is an _incredible _movie. I laughed, I screamed, I cried, and I consumed an entire pint of ice cream when it was over."

"I think those last two are something you might want to see a therapist about."

"I'm just going to ignore you now. Rachel, would you like to summarize the movie?"

"I'd love to," Rachel smiled. She ignored Jesse's faux-shock glance. "Basically, Jesse plays the younger of two sons of a recently deceased billionaire. Jesse Eisenberg plays the older of the two brothers who, has spent his whole life learning everything there is to know about his father's company because it only makes sense that he'll be the one to inherit it. But, when the will is read, you find that their dad has left the company to this Jesse's character who, up until this point, has shown zero interest in the company. The rest of the movie deals with family deceit and drama over who really deserves to run the company."

"That seemed like a perfectly adequate explanation to me," Danny complimented. "Jesse, What do you think?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he gave Rachel a smile.

"I have to say," Danny commented. "I really like the two of you together. Your definitely a couple I want to see last."

"We will," Jesse said confidently looking straight at Rachel. He turned his glance back to Danny. "We will."

* * *

**Chapter 1!**

**Wow! That was way faster than I told you it would be! … I guess I kind of lied … **

**I've had this written for a little while, and I figured I would hold onto it for a few days to build anticipation, but you all gave such amazing reviews for the last chapter of Reaching Potential, I figure you earned it:)**

**Just a few quick things:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**

**Also, I do not own Jesse Eisenberg. (I am currently obsessed with him though... He so adorable! Plus, I think him and JGroff look enough alike to pass as siblings.)**

**Danny Lovell is not a real person! And the Night Show with Danny Lovell isn't a real show. (Stands to reason.)**

**I did, however, loosely base him on Jimmy Fallon (who I do not own) because I have a deep love for Jimmy Fallon that will probably never go away.**

**All this aside... Thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel padded her way into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She walked over to the coffee maker on the corner of the counter and poured a glass into the mug specified with her name. She stiffled a yawn, taking a large whiff of the strong aroma and hoped that it would wake her.

"Good morning to you too," Jesse spoke from his seat on the end island stool. He watched her with an amused glance. "No cream and sugar this morning?"

Rachel just shook her head and took another sip from her steaming mug.

"Do I have to ask eighteen more of these to get an answer that makes sense?"

"Sorry," Rachel finally spoke. "I'm so tired, and I have no idea why."

"Me neither," Jesse frowned. "It's half past noon." He stood, and Rachel took note that he was already fully dressed and that he had been eating lunch, not breakfast.

"Twelve-thirty!" Rachel exclaimed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I went into your room earlier to see if you were already up and just down at the gym, but you were still in bed. You looked so tired and adorable. I figured you could sleep in just this once." Jesse explained.

"Aw," Rachel cooed. "That's actually kind of sweet."

"Plus you were snoring and talking in your sleep, so I didn't want to miss out on that."

The hand that Rachel had been using to rub his arm stopped and smacked the side of his head instead. "Way to ruin the moment."

"I guess it's just a habit of mine," Jesse shrugged. "And, for the record, I'm loving the bunny slippers. I thought those only existed in high school clichés and college sorority movies. Leave it to you to constantly be proving me wrong."

"I guess it's just a habit of mine," Rachel said innocently.

They had slowly moved closer to one another, almost subconsciously. So when Jesse whispered a "touche" it was almost automatic that their lips would meet.

Jesse backed Rachel against the counter, continuing their session while simultaneously removing the coffee mug from her hand and setting it on the counter.

Rachel was the one to finally pull away.

"As much as I would love to continue this, but you really should have checked my schedule before you decided not to wake me up this morning."

"You mean that enormous calendar that's made its home on our refrigerator actually has useful information written on it?" Jesse leaned in to lay another kiss on her cheek.

"Yes," Rachel laughed, pushing him away so she could walk over to the calendar in question. "See? If you had looked at it today, you would know that I have a lunch with the cast at one-thirty."

Jesse, too, took a glance at the calendar. "We're having dinner with Puck tonight?"

"You're the one who set it up, remember?"

"Not at all."

"I'm going to take this and use it as an example in the future when you say something to the affect that you are superior to the use of calendars."

"I have never said that I am superior to the use of calendars. I have, however, proved today that I am superior to the use of coffee. You seem pretty awake after our mid-day rendezvous."

"You make everything sound so dirty." She began walking out of the kitched.

Jesse just smirked. "Speaking of dirty, you should probably go take a shower. I think you left behind a funk."

"Bite me!" Rachel called as she walked towards the stairs.

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey, man!"

"Jesse? What are you doing calling so early?"

"Early? Puck, it's one-thirty."

"Exactly. I'm a rock star."

"Is that a question?"

"No, it's a universal sign that says I don't do anything until after four. Especially the day after a show."

"But you'd be willing to make an exception for me, right?"

"Define the circumstances."

"Rachel's out eating lunch with her cast, and she wouldn't let me go," Jesse admitted.

Puck didn't respond.

"You know I could always call someone else –"

"No!" Puck exclaimed. Then, clearing his throat, he added, "I mean – No, it's cool. I guess I can risk some sleep time for a bro in need."

"I'm honored," Jesse said sarcastically.

"Your place or mine?"

* * *

"Ms. Berry, your table and party are right this way," the hostess posed by her podium greeted as if she had been placed there for exactly that purpose. (Which she probably had.)

"Thank you." Rachel smiled politely.

Rachel followed the girl, allowing her to lead her to a secluded room in the back of the restaurant where a single table sat, full except for one seat.

"Sorry!" Rachel greeted sheepishly. "I really, really tried to be here on time!"

"Sure you did," Harry Blake, the show's director, said sarcastically. He flashed her a fond smile to relax her. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to sit down?"

"I was definitely thinking of remaining standing."

"But, then I'll get lonely," Sam frowned.

"Sam-I-Am!" Rachel exclaimed. Against her earlier proclamation, she hurried over to the empty seat next to Sam and took a seat.

"Berry! Where have you been? You're like five whole minutes late."

"It wasn't my fault!" Rachel defended. Then, softer, she added. "I _might _have _accidentally _slept in until twelve-thirty."

"What? Did your boyfriend not wake you up or something?" Sam asked.

"_Jesse _didn't know I had to be here, so he didn't see any hurt in letting me sleep in."

"But I thought you two told each other _everything_," Sam responded with false care.

"What is it that makes you so anti-Jesse?"

"I'm not –"

"Okay, before they start bringing food in, let's start talking about why we're here," Harry said, addressing the entire table.

"I have been wondering that," Sam commented.

"Why do I hire kids with such low levels of respect?" Harry questioned, turning to the show's producer, Brett James.

"Beats me," Brett shrugged.

"Oh, I have the upmost respect for you and your untouchable talents in the acts that come with the challenging job of a hit TV show director, Mr. Blake," Rachel said, eyebrows furrowed.

"I remember now," Harry nodded. "It's creepy. Call me 'Mr. Blake' one more time, and I'm replacing you."

"So, why are we here?" Sam asked again.

"Writers," Harry nodded to the three men at the end of the table, "I think you can take it from here."

Miles Lefter, the show's head writer, reached under the table and pulled out seven six paper-bound scripts.

"I present to you," Miles said with excitement, "the first official season two script for _Making It."_

He passed the scripts around the table to each cast member while they all, especially Rachel, squealed with anticipation.

Rachel, with eager hands, grasped the one before her, opening it to the first page where the familiar list of cast and characters stared her back. She traced down the list with her finger, realizing just how much she had been missing her job while they were on hiatus. Her finger stopped, though, towards the bottom of the listed names where an unfamiliar alias was written.

_Joseph "Joey" Burbank …. Unknown_

"Who's Joey Burbank?" Sam asked before Rachel could.

"He's who we're here to talk about," Miles answered. "Well, one of the things we're here to talk about. Bottom line, he's a new character for this season – maybe more, depending on the response – and we want some feed back and suggestions on who you would like to play the role."

"Who is he, though?" Rachel asked. She could feel herself becoming a little worried about another person making their way into what she already considered a tightly woven family. "What's the character like?"

"He's going to be Rick's competition. There's too much smooth sailing between the two of you. We've got to rock the waters a little, and who better to rock the waters than a celebrity bad boy with his eyes set on somebody else's girl."

And Rachel could find it in her to argue.

* * *

**Chapter Two!**

**Let's answer some questions!**

**1. Sam will be playing a decent sized role in this story! Oh, the things I have planned.**

**2. Jesse will eventually be showing off his singing talents to the rest of the world as well as possibly explaining why he hasn't done so before hand.**

**3. I'm not promising an entirely smooth road for Rachel and Jesse 'cause that would be super boring. **

**4. If Finn does make an appearance, which is pretty unlikely, it won't be game changing or important. It will probably just be in passing and unavoidable. **

**5. Oh, yes. Kurt and Quinn are going to be heading to L.A. for some fun eventually!**

**Next chapter will pick up with some Jesse/Puck bonding followed by the St. Berry/Puck dinner.**

**Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

Jesse sat in front of the TV, waiting for the doorbell to ring. He flipped the channel for what had to be the hundredth time. Shaking his head, he flung the remote to the floor and ran a hand through his hair.

It was official. He was going stir crazy.

For the past few years, to say he had been in high demand for everything was an understatement. He had been getting movie offers left and right ever since he was fifteen. But, since the wrapping of _Inheritance _nearly six months ago he had gotten a total of zero offers.

Jesse wasn't crazy, he knew that all actors had a dry spell. Heck, he knew plenty that would kill for a six month vacation. Those guys weren't Jesse St. James, though.

Before he had any chance to wallow in further self-pity, Jesse heard the the noise he had been awaiting far too eagerly.

_Ding-dong._

Exited for any distraction from the nothingness that had become his daily routine, Jesse sprang from the couch and headed to unlock the door.

"Dude, why was your door locked?" Puck asked as soon as Jesse had opened the door for him.

Jesse took in Puck's appearance. As usual, he was in a worn t-shirt of a band Jesse had never heard of along with a well-washed grey hoodie casually thrown over it. His dark-wash jeans were carelessly tucked into his beat-up black boot-like shoes that Jesse was almost convinced he slept in. He took a sigh of relief, knowing that somethings would never change.

"You've got to learn to behave like a normal human being. Locking a door and making a guest wait for you to open it is proper protocol. It's about time you start learning that kind of stuff."

"Oh," Puck said with a smug smile. He patted Jesse on the back approvingly. "You're worried about me eventually walking in on something between you and Rachel. I gotcha."

"Well that's just not true."

"Why not?" Puck questioned. He followed Jesse into the living room watching as his best friend dropped himself to the couch.

"Because Rachel and I don't – we haven't –"

"Haven't what?" Puck asked, but then his eyes lit in surprise and amusement. "Wait, you're telling me that you've lived with your girlfriend for over a year, and you _haven't _had sex."

"Is that really so hard to believe?" Jesse asked, with frustration. "It's none of your business anyway. Rachel would kill me if she knew we were having this conversation. Which we're not, we're not having this conversation."

"Fine," Puck shrugged. "At least now I know why you seem so frustrated all the time."

"I'm not frustrated."

"Dude, you're definitely frustrated."

"Nope."

"Something has definitely got your panties in a wad, and I'm going find out what it is. It would honestly save you a lot more time to just tell me."

"There's nothing to –"

"Cut the act, St. Jackass. I've known you since you were twelve and rehearing lines for your first commercial. Trust me when I say your moody actor shit has no affect on me."

"Fine," Jesse sighed. "I'm just a little anxious lately."

"Not having sex can do that to a guy."

"It's not because of that," Jesse said, shaking his head. "I've been out of work for six months now. Usually I'd be halfway through a project with three others lined up."

Puck took a moment to appraise his long-time friend. It had been a while since he had seen Jesse in anything other than Armani jeans and a button-up shirt. Today, though, he was clad in sweat pants from a hotel in England and a t-shirt scripted with his own band's name.

"Look," Puck said reluctantly, "I'm only going to say this once, and I wouldn't even do that if it wasn't my responsibility as your best bro to knock you out of your girl-like self pity. You're good at what you do, so chill out. Trust me, I wouldn't be seen with you if you weren't."

"That was," Jesse paused, "really cheesy."

"I'm going to kick your ass."

"As entertaining as that sounds, I think I have a better idea."

* * *

Rachel climbed the steps leading to the front porch of her house. With a small smile, she pulled out the pink key decorated with a gold star that Jesse had personalized for her. She twisted the key in the lock and opened the door to... a completely dark house.

"Jesse?" Rachel called curiously. She had spoken to him only thirty minutes ago and he told her he was hanging out at home with Puck.

She received no answer so, she called again.

"Puck? ... Anybody?"

Still she received no reply.

With a tad bit of caution, Rachel moved into the living room and began searching for the light switch when she caught a blue glow shining from behind the far chair. Rachel rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. At least they hadn't left.

With quiet feet, she maneuvered her way to the glow and squatted next to it.

"Laser tag?" Rachel asked, only to be immediately shushed. "Sorry," she continued with a soft whisper, "But really?" Rachel pulled playfully on Jesse's flashing vest.

"Yes, really," Jesse answered in a serious tone he saved purely for competition. "And if you don't bring your voice down, I'm going to lose."

"And Jesse St. James doesn't -"

"And I don't lose."

"Okay, fine, but how exactly are you planning on winning if you're behind this chair the whole time?"

"I haven't been down here the whole time. We're both at 90,000 points. Next point wins, and I have to plan. Puck, on the other hand, doesn't plan anything. So, I'm waiting for him to make a stupid move so I can take my shot." Jesse's eyes shown with boy-like excitement through his protective/night vision glasses. Rachel didn't want to admit to herself that it had been quite some time since she had seen just that look.

She grinned at him and ran a gentle hand through the curls that had fallen down to his eyebrows. With a false forced sigh, Rachel pretended to cave. "Fine. What can I do to help?"

He returned her grin eagerly. "You're the best!"

His eyes darted to the left and right, surveying the room around him. Once he had determined them to be alone, he pressed his lips to hers in what he had intended to be a short peck. But, as he had come to find true in multiple cases involving Rachel, himself, and compromising positions, he found himself twisting his hands into her hair. Their lips pressed together with more force, eyes closing, and just as Jesse was about to force himself to pull away, a bleep of defeat broke through the silence. Along with it came a flash of red light and the two broke apart, turning to face the person who had caused the interruption.

"Damn it!" Jesse frowned with a stomp of his foot. "Maybe next time you shouldn't suck face with your girlfriend and focus on the game!" Puck laughed. "But, for now, you're a little too late. I win!" "This is bullshit." "I think you're confusing this with you're laser tag skills."

"Please, this is the only time you've beaten me! And it doesn't even count! I was distracted!"

"Distracted or not, you still owe me a thousand dollars and your album signed by all four of The Beatles."

"A thousand dollars and your signed Beatles album? Jesse are you insane!" Rachel interrupted, reminding the other two of her presence.

"I've never lost before!" Jesse explained. "Ever. And you know why?" Jesse turned back to Puck. "Because I'm better than you. So, fine. I'll give you a thousand dollars and my Beatles album, but you can just consider it a favor because you didn't really win."

"I would have beat you anyway!" Puck protested.

"Oh really," Jesse taunted. "Prove it."

"Easy. Rematch. If I win I get your album and _two_ thousand dollars."

"Pocket change," Jesse shrugged. "If I win I get the original thousand you were going to give me, the your first edition of Rolling Stone, and your signed Billy Joel yamaka."

"Not to ruin your fun," Rachel interjected, "but we have reservations for five and it's currently four, and there's noway I'm going anywhere with the two of you as sweaty and smelly as you are. I'm demanding showers."

"Rachel," Jesse and Puck whined at the same time.

Rachel appraised the two twenty year old men standing before her, and almost laughed at how they were acting only half that age.

"I guess we can order in."

Immediately Jesse and Puck's shoulders lifted, and their expressions became jovial again.

"You're the best," Jesse smiled, kissing her cheek.

"I owe you one," Puck said.

"Oh, Noah, you'll owe me more than one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Puck asked. Rachel ignored him, looking at Jesse to ask, "Where's my vest? You can consider not going out to dinner as your prize if I lose. If I win, I get everything that you've offered to each other plus Puck has to mention he still wets the bed in his interview with GQ tomorrow."

"Deal," Jesse said without hesitance.

"Change 'wets the bed' to 'sleeps with a night light,' and I'm in."

* * *

**Here's Chapter 3! **

**Mostly just Rachel/Jesse/Puck fun without any real plot development... Well, aside from Jesse's getting role problems... **

**So.. Thoughts?**

**P to the S... The response to this sequel has been AMAZING. Seriously, 20 reviews a chapter blows my mind:) So, as a thank you, I've decided the following: P.M. with _any_ question you want me to answer! It could be about my personal life (just not too personal...), the story, my opinions on things... Be creative! I'll pick one or two questions to answer in my AN after each chapter I post! So... Bring it on!**


	4. Chapter 4

When Rachel walked into his room, Jesse knew he was in trouble. When he saw that she carried with her a planner and a notebook, he knew he was doomed.

"Why are you still in bed?" Rachel asked, though she was still clad in her purple, silk pajamas herself.

Jesse shifted into a more up-right seating position. Removing his glasses, he moved his eyes from the scrip he had been reading to give Rachel his full attention.

"Just doing some light reading," he answered. "Besides, it's only eight."

"Exactly! It's eight. That means we've missed out on three extra hours of preparing and organizing!"

"What are we preparing for again?" Jesse asked, confused. Nether the less, he scooted from the middle of his bed to the right side, giving Rachel plenty of room to join him.

As Rachel slipped into the bed beside him, she threw him a disbelieving look.

"You honestly can't think of anything we would need to be planning for?" Rachel asked as she flipped her planner to the current month.

"Nope," Jesse led. "Nothing comes to mind."

"Oh, really," Rachel said, catching on to his scheme. "So this date means absolutely nothing to you?" She pointed to the last day and looked at him knowingly.

"That day is a day just like any other."

"Jesse!" Rachel exclaimed in frustration, and for a moment Jesse wondered if he had actually gone too far. "Cut it out! Your birthday is a bid deal, and this year we are throwing you a party. You're turning twenty-one! How could you not be excited about that? You should be excited about that."

"Rachel, I love you," Jesse paused and smirked to admire the way her cheeks still flushed whenever he said the "l" word, "But, I don't want some big, fake, Hollywood party with a bunch of fake people kissing my ass for the pure inevitability of turning a year older."

"Sorry," Rachel sighed.

"It's okay," Jesse assured. "I just –"

"But you're having a party."

"But –"

"No buts! I bought that whole 'Hollywood is fake and icky' speech last year!"

"Okay. My voice does not –"

"But I want to do this for you. I promise, promise, promise I won't go overboard. Please, please, _please_ let me do this."

"You better be getting me one hell of a birthday present," Jesse ceded with a sigh.

"Funny you should mention that," Rachel smiled ruefully. "I've recently acquired a Beatles album I'm sure you'd be very interested in."

"I've changed my mind. I take back what I said before."

"You say a lot of things."

"I don't love you anymore. I fell quite the opposite, actually."

"Jesse!"

But his lips silenced any protests she could have made.

* * *

Jesse stood next to the stove, steadily chopping the bright assortment of peppers, onions, and greens in front of him. When all of the vegetables were adequately diced, he slid half of them into the heating skillet containing his soon-to-be-stir-fried chicken and the other half into Rachel's tofu-bearing skillet.

"Have I ever told you that watching you cook might be my favorite thing to do," the voice came from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder to see that Rachel had taken a seat at that island behind him.

"It better be for the burns I suffered taking that cooking class."

"Please, it was one little burn on your forearm."

"It scarred me for life," Jesse protested.

"Literally," Rachel sniggered.

"Okay, okay," Jesse agreed, laughing. "Maybe cooking class wasn't so bad. And the instructor was pretty h–"

"Finish that sentence and that scar on your forearm isn't the only one you're going to have."

"I was going to say helpful!" Jesse exclaimed innocently, and he turned back to finish cooking.

"Sure you were," Rachel replied knowingly.

They stayed in comfortable silence until Jesse had placed both of their meals on separate plates and joined her at the island.

"You never did tell me what the script you were reading this morning was for," Rachel mentioned.

"It was nothing really," Jesse shrugged. He hoped that she would let the subject be dropped at that.

"You seemed pretty wrapped up in it. I stood in your doorway for almost a solid minute before you even noticed I was there."

"Really?" Jesse asked. He cocked a brow curiously.

"Yeah, and you had your glasses on. You only wear those when your tired which implies that you stayed up for quite some time last night reading it. Or, you woke up early this morning."

"I can't get anything past you, can I?"

"Not if I can help it," Rachel smiled. "If it's a project you're interested in doing then I would want to know about it."

"It's grabbed my attention, that's for sure."

"So do you think you're going to do it?" Rachel asked.

"I really don't know. It's definitely different from what I'm used to. It'd be a real game changer, and I'm not sure I'm willing to risk it," Jesse replied honestly. He thought back to the script that rested in his bedside drawer.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" Rachel questioned.

"Eventually," Jesse nodded. "But for right now, I think I really need to figure out if it's something I want to do. This hiatus I'm on has given me a lot of time to think about where I want to go with my career. I really think this project could make or break me. I've just got to figure out the risk and reward side before I start bringing in other opinions."

"So the script is good?"

Jesse smirked, "I don't waste my time reading or considering anything that isn't."

"Well, while you spend your time being notoriously vague, I've got to be at the studio for table reads in forty-five minutes."

"I'll call Rodger and tell him to bring the limo around."

* * *

Rachel hopped out to the limo at the studio after throwing a quick thank-you to Rodger. She checked the time on her black and gold embellished Betsy Johnson watch to see that she was five minutes ahead of schedule. Finally, she wasn't going to be the last cast member to the read.

She turned down the studio halls with an easy familiarity. Effortlessly, she by passed security with a friendly wave and offered a smile and a "hello" to every secretary she passed. She finally found herself in front of the main elevator and pressed the up button.

As Rachel waited for the elevator, she tapped her gladiator sandal-clad foot against the floor impatiently. She was almost ready to forget the elevator and take the stairs. All she wanted to do was beat Sam to work today. Was that so much to ask?

But, as fait would have it, right as the elevator door opened, she heard her name being called from down the hall.

"Rachel! Hold the door!"

Rachel, knowing the voice anywhere shouted back without a glance.

"Sorry, Sammy! You snooze you lose!"

With a victoriously laugh, she sped into the elevator and pressed the "Door Close" button just in time to see Sam rush into the elevator bank a second too late.

Sitting in her specified seat and having the one next to her be uncharacteristically empty inspired a feeling of victory much greater than Rachel would have expected.

The entire cast, it seemed, was surprised she had made it before Sam. He was always the punctual one when it came to the show's two leading actors. Even Harry and Miles had offered her congratulations for actually being on time.

Sam, however, seemed less than thrilled with her beating him. When he entered the room approximately three minutes after her, he threw her a stubborn glare before sitting next to her with his arms crossed.

"Sam, so nice of you to grace us with your presence," Harry greeted sarcastically. For once, Rachel got to laugh along with the rest of the cast, for it was not being directed at her this time.

"I would just like to point out that I would have been here on time if Rachel hadn't have closed the elevator door on me."

"I did no such thing!" Rachel exclaimed as if she was horrified that Sam would ever accuse her of doing so.

"Um, It sure did seem that way when you yelled out 'You snooze you lose' and then ran into the elevator laughing like a freaking hyena."

"You have no proof," Rachel shrugged.

"There are cameras in the hall."

"I'm pleading the fifth."

"That's what I thought," Sam nodded and gave her the first smile he had given her all day.

"Hey, Lucy and Ricky, would you like to get to work anytime soon?" Harry asked from his seat at the head of the table.

"Hey, no need for name calling. We'll get to work, won't we Rach?"

"Nothing would make me happier," Rachel replied innocently. She flipped her script to the first page and took a deep breath. Time to become Samantha Logan.

* * *

**There we have Chapter Four!**

**Now, I said I would answer some questions I got P. to me, so here I have answered some! If your question isn't answered here, check your inbox because I answered some that way.**

**1. What's you're favorite **_**Spring Awakening**_**moment/song?**

** That's kind of a tough one... I'd say that my favorite part would be in the beginning when Melchior stands up for Moritz during Latin class. And then my favorite song is most likely "And Then There Were None" because John Gallagher Jr.'s voice and emotion is crazy amazing.**

**2. Will Sam Evans become Jesse's competition?**

** In order to not give too much away, Sam could stir up some drama in the future. I'll leave it at that.**

**3. Is Rachel considered an A-lister because of her show?**

**Hmm... I wouldn't say she's an A-lister... I'm assuming A-listers are people such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and in this story Jesse St. James. What you really have to remember is that Rachel's show is about to start its second season, so it's still relatively new. I'd say her stardom is about where a cast member of Glee's would be. Plus a little bonus for the attention of dating Jesse.**

**So... Thoughts?**


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